Giving birth prematurely greatly increases the risk of neonatal death. A study was done, completed in Australia in 2020, which followed about 3500 women. The researchers wanted to find out if the diets they ate pre-conception had any association with pre-term birth. What they found was not surprising, but much clearer than what was expected. A mother’s diet CAN reduce premature birth risk significantly.
Why avoid prematurity?
According to the World Health Organisation, babies born pre-term are not only more likely to die at birth, but are also more likely to suffer from neurological problems including cerebral palsy. They are more likely to be admitted to the ICU, die in the first few weeks of life, spend a long time in hospital with all the upheaval to family life this brings and be re-admitted to hospital in the first year of life. They are, further, at increased risk of chronic lung disease later in life.
Babies born prematurely also face a greater risk of chronic and metabolic diseases in adulthood, as well as poorer cognitive development and academic performance.
Smoking is a major cause of premature birth which we can control. But now there is another clear factor. Dietary factors can also reduce premature birth risk.
Is prematurity more common now?
Currently, 8.5% of Australian births are premature – but that figure is trending upwards. We know that unequal access to maternal care and poverty increases a mother’s risk of delivering prematurely, as does smoking.
This study, however, may cast new light on a very good reason prematurity is occurring more frequently in the West. And that reason is our low nutrient diets.
How can vegetables help?
In a University of Queensland study <read it here> of the diets of nearly 3500 women, it was found that high consumption of carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, pumpkin, cabbage, green beans and potatoes BEFORE CONCEPTION helped women reach full-term pregnancy.
Babies are fully formed by the end of the first trimester. This requires certain stored nutrients to be available before pregnancy even begins, especially iron and calcium, but also a whole gamut of micronutrients necessary for complete formation of both the placenta and the foetus. Starting a healthier diet after the baby has been conceived may be too late.
Traditional vegetables are not only rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients but are also the highest sources of micronutrients. Some particularly needed for pregnancy are folate, Vitamin C, fibre and beta carotene, each with vital roles to play in forming a healthy baby. Together, this gives them a significant role in reducing the risk of poor birth outcomes, including prematurity.
We know a healthy diet, rich in vegetables, can help avoid complications such as gestational diabetes and nutritional deficiencies. Eating vegetables also helps the baby develop a healthy birth weight, reduces the risk of anaemia, controls blood pressure, and leads to healthy weight gain in the mother. And now we know that a diet rich in vegetables can help reduce premature birth risk.
Which vegetables to concentrate on to reduce premature birth
Eating ordinary vegetables with all their fibre is like taking a slow-release vitamin supplement. The fibre slows down the nutrients from reaching the cells all at once. We want a variety of particular vegetables to ensure that a growing baby (and mother) continue to receive a good supply of needed nutrients.
Here are some particularly useful ones:
- sweet potatoes – great source of Vitamins A, B & C. Good for eyesight.
- beetroot – high in vitamins & fibre. Good for immune system.
- capsicums – high in vitamin C. Preventing anaemia, and forming collagen, strong bones.
- broccoli – high in Vit C, K and folate.
- green peas – rich in fibre, Vitamin C & K
- dark leafy greens, eg. kale – high in fibre, folate & carotenoids.
- parsley – Vitamin E, B2, protein
- tomatoes – Vitamin C, K & biotin
How to get veggies in when you may be feeling sick in pregnancy
- Homemade soups with a variety of vegetables blended in, eg. carrots, pumpkin, tomatoes. Consume small amounts at once.
- Consume vegetables with tomato sauce or dip.
- Wash fruits and vegetables well, and preferably peel before eating.
- As your tastes change, due to hormonal changes, increase your vegetable varieties as much as possible.
- Roast or grill your veggies and season them with herbs and spices such as basil, thyme, coriander and oregano, or with hot curry spices, to enhance flavours. Eat all the spicy food you like – unless you have heartburn.
- Eat smaller portions as your stomach becomes squashed by the baby.
How many vegetables should a pregnant woman eat?
It is recommended that pregnant women eat a minimum of 5 serves of vegetables in a day. A serve is 1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw. The nutrients in vegetables need to be consumed as whole foods – not vitamin supplements, as those do not contain needed fibre, or the beneficial synergistic factors contained in real food.
The postpartum period often leads up to the next pregnancy and this is a crucial time for women to get their health in order. Use this time to be eating the required amount of vegetables, so that a future pregnancy will more likely end with a full-term and healthy baby.
Why increasing prematurity in Australia
Could the rising rates of prematurity in babies be partially caused by the fact that Australians do not eat enough vegetables?
In 2017-18, the National Health Survey: First Results, 2017-18 from the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that just over half (51.3%) of Australians aged 18 years and over met the guidelines for the recommended daily serves of fruit (2 or more serves), while only one in thirteen (7.5%) met the guidelines for serves of vegetables (both men and women alike). Only one in twenty (5.4%) adults met both guidelines.
Since we now know that meeting the minimum daily requirements of vegetables is necessary to lower risk of giving birth prematurely, with all the extra risks that carries, it stands to reason that one reason for rising prematurity rates could be under-consumption of vegetables.
This is something we can easily remedy.
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